So yesterday I experimented with a full hunter contingent and while it was fun it was almost like it didn't gel with how I tend to like to play my tau (mechanized with suit support moving very aggressively) so now I'm wondering about trying these 2 formations has anyone tried this before?

I've thought about trying this combination and tried similar, it offers a decent supply of markerlights and auto-arrive on turn two for the crisis suits, or turn one if you go second and they destroy a unit(s) from the infiltration cadre. However pathfinders are not very mobile, so for your play style it could be better to use a Retaliation cadre and a Counter-strike cadre.

It seems unclear to me what exactly you want to know. Do you want experiences of people using this, or just thoughts on the combination itself and other possible combinations that would work with you style of play?

I've tried this combination before against Grey Knights at 1850 pts: it had mixed results.

I had a dawn blade contingent with a retaliation and a Drone Network VX (which I now call Skynet). I runned the Optimised Stealth Cadre with Homing Beacon.

The stealth suits tends to get butchered if you don't put them in cover nicely, so the placing of the beacon is tricky and makes them fire magnets. It's then harder to benefit from WoM rule and can encourage you to risk your Ghostkeel (don't do that).

Putting all those points in deepstrike is risky, and it was hard not being tabled turn 2 (if the ennemy had the first turn, I mean), but the damage done by the Retaliation in this combo is so hard that it won me a lot of games.

Gameplay tips:-Keep your marker drone safe, you need 'em turn two.-Use your "soaking"force to force the opponent to expose itself; the retaliation can then clean it up-Don't put too many points in stealth suit if you take the Beacon: give them wounds, they'll need it.-Your Ghostkeel needs EWO and at least a FB.

I've been using these formations as a strategy with some success. In order to fit it the way I want, I've been running them outside the contingents. But that's personal taste.

I've had good success against armies that rely heavily on support elements, or have a focal power point that is not the super durable deathstars (I.e. rerollable invulnerable saves) that we see often these days.

My usage has taken full advantage of the fact our positional relays and homing beacons don't need to be on the field at the beginning of the turn to be used. One squad of pathfinders outflank with a recon drone, and both squads of stealth suits are minimum with homing beacons, also out flanking. I don't like, despite the formation begging for it, putting the broadsides and riptide in deep strike. For me, these start on the board, along with 2 squads of 6 pathfinders on a tidewall shieldline. This, I find, deters a lot of firepower from going at your precious markerlights, gives them some mobility, and rerolls of 1s to hit gives a decent hit rate. By that's more preference than anything else (personal love of pathfinders)

I agree with Vres'ka, when it lands you can really dish out some hurt. But the thing you pick here can win the game then and there, or you'll suddenly be on the retreat to keep your important strike elements alive. I have won multiple games halfway through my turn 2 shooting phase doing this.

Don't forget to apply some flexibility to your plan, not everyone will fall for the bait piranha or its drones, so have a backup plan incase some of your important units don't come in.

Experiment with it, find the loadout and setup you like. It can be a lot of fun to pull off.

Thank you for that. I will experiment with that style of list as it does look pretty fun. Hopefully it won't get complained about by marine players like I got complained at on Saturday because apparently my 1 riptide is op lol

I am curious to hear if anyone has worked on this idea any further and how it is going for them.

In particular has anyone tried to use the Stealth/Devilfish combo to get massed outflanking onto the the table edge of choice followed up by the massed drop of crisis suits? It seems to me that against some opponents (those crazy FW artillery lists spring to mind) the ability to tank-shock from their own table edge could be really good.

I have used the combo and it has worked fine. Two minimum stealth teams each with a fusion gun, 3 markerlight pathfinder teams in cover and the piranha with a fusion gun plus the suits from my Retcad and suits from a general CAD(depending on points). I usually chose to go second if given the choice. I use the speeder and the stealths aggressively and position them to threaten something of my opponents that he doesn't want to die. Hope that he takes the bait and shoots up one of the teams. On my turn everything comes in and nukes things. Theres always exceptions to how effective it is like if you are facing another null deployment army but overall it hasn't failed me catastrophically. These two formations are my starting point for army building.